Plated knitted fabric



Jan. 21, 1930. Q GALLAGHER 1,744,219

PLATED KNITTED FABRIC Filed March 15, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l Mme-as v Czar/66 6'0/[4 c-r- W Jan. 21, 1930. c, GALLAGHER Q 1,744,219

PLATED KNITTED FABRIC Filed March 15, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Arman s a.

Patented Jan. 2 1, 1930 I needles to form loops, While. the plating yarn UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE CHARLES B. GALLAGHER, 0F AsBUnY PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD- TRUMP BROS. MACHINE COMPANY, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE PIIATED KNITTED FABRIC.

Application filed March 15, 1928. Serial No. 261,739.

' It is known to knit plated fabric, that is,-

fabric which is formed of a backing or body yarn and a facing or plating yarn, by feeding these two yarns under different tension simultaneously to the needles; the plating yarn appearing on the face of the fabric, while the body yarn is concealed. It isalso known to produce striped and figured effects and designs by causing certain of the needles 'to engage only the body yarn and escape engagement'withthe plating yarn, so that only the body yarn "will beknitted by these will float across the fabric. It is also known to produce striped and figured effects and designs by causing the two yarns knit by cermm of the needles to be reversed in position so that the body yarn will appear on the face of the fabric knit by these needles, while the plating yarn is concealed.

The two methods of producing these striped and figured elfects in plated knitted fabric may be designated respectively as the floating thread method and the reverse plating method. Examples of the first method are found in patents issued to Harold E. Houseman J une'7, 1927, Nos. 1,631,816 and 1,631,817.

A'n example of the second method is disclosed and claimed in an application filed by \Vilbur L. Houseman July 29, 1927, Ser. No. 209,383,

In the said patents issued to'H. E. Houseman, those needles (which maybe called regular needles) that are not to produce the strip-, 'ing effect aredrawn down at such point in the rotation of the. needle cylinder that the needles will'engage both threads and knit them together. Those needles (which maybe called special needles) that are to produce the striping efiect are drawn down at such point in advance of the point. at which the regular needles are drawn down that they will engage one of the threads (e. g., the body thread and not the other (e. g., the plating threadi, thusknitti'ng only the former.

In the, said application filed by W. L. Houseman, pressers, rotatable with needles, are actuated by non-rotatable cams to bend selected needles inward out of their normal knitting plane, thereby reversing the normal positions of the threads in those the diiferentthreads respectively ontothe needles, so that the body or backing yarn will,

productionfin plated fabric, of-two-color effects, since the use of only two threads is contemplated. The object of the present invention is to produce-plated knitted fabrics having three-color effects, such as striped .-fabrics;"or designs or various configurations that may be produced by knitting stripes of any desired length along any Wales of the fabric that may be selected, each of said stripes being formed by causing any one of the three threads toappear on the surface while the other threads are concealed thereby or one is concealed and the other caused to escape the needles and float across the fabric.

In producing a plated knitted fabric embodying my invention, I preferv to employ the process set forth man-application filed ofeven date herewithby H. E. Houseman, Ser. No. 261,734. Before describingsaid process, the structure of one of different plated knitted fabrics in which my inven tion may be 'embodied'should be described,

preliminarily to which a brief description of the drawings will be given.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a diagram of a series of needles,

the yarn feed and the needle actuating cam;

constituting part of the mechanism it is preferred'to use.

Figs. 2, 3iand 4 are diagrams of needles and adjacent sinkers, showing the relative positions of the three-threads as they are knit into, or floated across, thefabric to bring the which face.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of a part of Fig. 1, enlarged, showing how certain needles engage all the threads 'andother needles two of the threads preparatory to forming the stitches.

section, of a part of the needle cylinder and of the means for selectively pressing back needles to produce, in the hooks thereof, the

arrangement of threads shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the upper ends of two needles, one'in normal position and the other bent back.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the needle presser actuating jacks of Fig. 6.

Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12 are diagrams showing the stitch cam and needles actuated therethreads are fed simultaneously to a circle of by; Fig. 9 alsoshowing the means for moving the stitch cam into and out of operative position to actuate certain needles to cause them to escape engagement with one of the threads as shown in Fig. 4. I n

Fig. 13 is a face view showing a typical three-color design of a fabric embodying my invention.

Fig. 14 is a dia ram, enlarged, of a small section of a plate knitted fabric embodying my invention, with the three different threads on the face in different parts thereof.

In the following'description, b represents the backing thread which, in normally plated fabric embodying my invention, appears on the back of the fabric; p represents the plating thread which, in normally plated fabric embodying my invention, appears on the face of the fabric; and m re resents the thread which, in normally plate fabric embodying my invention appears in the middle or center of the fabric between the plating thread and the backing thread.

Such normally plated fabric embodying my invention is shown in the first two and the last two wales of Fig. 14 ;.it being understood that the looseness and openness of the stitches are greatly'exaggerated in order to more clearly illustrate the structure. In these wales the lat-ing thread p appears on the face of the abric, as above described, and the part of the fabric knit by these wales has the color of the platin thread p. I

In t e third. and fourth wales, all-three threads are also knit into the fabric, but the relative positions of the threads are reversed,

the backing thread appearing on the face of the fabric and imparting its color to the fabric, and the plating thread appearing on the back of the fabric.

In the fifth and sixth wales, only the mi ddle thread and the plating thread are knit into the fabric, the backing thread floating across from the fourth Wale to the seventh Wale. This part of the fabric has the color of the middle yarn.

It will be understood that this fabric represents only a preferred embodiment of my invention and is capable ofmodification. The triple thread platedfabric comprised in the first two and last two wales of Fig. 13 in and of itself exhibits substantial advantages fabric.

over the two-yarn plated fabric known in the art and regardless of the difference in color of the three threads.

- The invention is not limited to any particular process or mechanism for knitting the In order, however, to enable those skilled in the art to knit the fabric, I shall describe the process for knitting same set forth in the said Houseman application, as well as the mechanism that it is preferred to use to practice the process on a circular knitting machine.

In carrying out the process the three knittingneedles. A relatively strong tension is imposed on one of the threads, say the mally it will appear in the middle of the fab ric directly under, and concealed by, the plating thread. No tension, or a relatively slight tension, is imposed on the third, or backing, thread, so that normally it will appear on the back of the fabric and be concealed by the other two threads.

Let it be assumed that inthe knitting of normal plated fabric three differently colored threads are fed simultaneously toward a com mon point in the circle of needles. One possiblearrangement of the threads is shown in Fig. 5. The backing yarn I) may be assumed to be under a relatively light or no tension. -The plating or facing yarn 17 may be under strong tension. The middle yarn m may be under a medium tension. The regular needles t, :5 follow the regular path, so that their hooks engage all the threads. In accordance with the principles governing the operation of plating, the three threads are knit into the fabric in the order p, m, b, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the plating thread appears on the face of the fabric and the backing thread appears on the back of the fabric.

In order to make the backing thread appear on the face of the fabric the hook ends of the needles are pushed back, as shown in Fig. 3 (see also Fig. 7), causing the threads to roll around and reverse the relative order in which they are fed to the needles, so that the threads knit into the fabric in the order I), m, p, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the backing thread appears on the face of the fabric greater tension than thread m. However, by

bending back the hookends of the needles (in addition to prematurely depressing them) these threads are caused to roll around and reverse the relative order in which they are fed to the needles, so that the threads knit into the fabric in the order m, p, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the middle thread appears on the face, and the plating thread on the back, of the fabric, while the backing thread floats across the fabric. I

It will be understood that in order to make the body of the stocking in one color with stripes of two contrasting colors, it is only necessary (in carrying out the process on a circular knitting machine in the illustrative way described) to operate certain (regular) needles in the normal way, to set back out of the normal knitting plane other needles but operate them also in the regular way, and to operate a third set of needles to cause .them to move down into knitting position and prematurely engage only twee of the threads (in the example given, the middle and plating threads) and also to set the third set of needles back out of the normal knitting plane.

In order to produce figured eflects, it is necessary (in carrying out the process on a circular knittingmachine in the described illustrative way) to provide means for selectively" bending back selected needles for a predetermined number of ,courses and to prematurely move down ihto knitting position selected needles forapredetermined number of courses. 1 In order to selectively bend back needles it is preferred to utilize' the mechanism disclosed and claimed in the said Wilbur L. Houseman application, Ser. N 0. 209,393, shown herein in Figs. 6, 7'and 8.

Vertically slidable in slots'of the revolving needle cylinder a are the needles 1', which are movable up and down in a normal knitting wave by cams operatingin the usual way. Fastened to the needle cylinder is the sinker dial 0, which'carries the sinkers or web holders i, which cooperate with the needles in the usual manner to form the stitches.

Below the sinker dial c is a slotted jack dial 0?, which is attached to the sinker dial... Pressers eare placed in the needle cylinder slots after the needles have been inserted and are held in place by the two spring bands is. These pressers are so shaped that they bear against the needles at the extreme upper ends a of the pressers and also at points opposite the spring bands 70. The needle cylinder slots are of greater than normal depth at their upper ends, forming shoulders g. The needles are unsupported above these shoulders, which act as fulcrums when needles are pushed back by the upper ends of presserse The jack dial d has slots corresponding innumber with the slots in the needle cylinder.. At intervals and in groups in accordance with a pattern which is to be formed in the knitted fabric, jacks f are inserted, in the dial slots.

These jacks are held lightlyin contact with their corresponding needle pressers e by a spring band it.

A threaded clamp ring h holds the jacks in their proper vertical position. The jacks are formed with slots on their rear ends so' that sections may be broken out in difierent places leaving butts 0, which may be in any one of eight different vertical positions. If desired, there may be two or more butts on a jack. The one illustrated in Fig. 8 has butts in all eight positions, whereas the one shown in Fig. 6 has a butt in only the second highest position.

The eight cams the eight difierent positions do -not revolve and may be moved into or out of the path of the respective butts '0 of jacks 7", each of the eight difierent cams being in alignment with one of the corresponding eight butt locations on the jacks.

g for operating butts o in When one or more of the eight cams g are moved and held in the p'athof the jacks f having butts 0 corresponding to the vertical positions of such cams, these jacks will be pushed inward and will in turn rock the corresponding pushers e, thereby springing the corresponding needles 7" at the fulcrum point- 9,

causing their hooked ends to be bent back out of line with the adjacent unpushed needles in the normal knitting plane.

In order to prematurely move down into knitting position selected needles, it is preferred to use the mechanism disclosed in the said Patents Nos. 1,631,816 and 1,631,817, .a part of which isshown herein in Figs. 9-12.

In Fig. 1 an arcuate' group of needles t, vertically slidable in the needle cylinder, is shown in operative relation with the three threads I), p, and m, which are fed from a yarn carrier 2.. (Fig. 5) that is projected into the throatof the latch rin s. In the same figure is shown a group 0 cams, which are constructed in the usual way except that the stitch cam 'w is specially constructed and is operable radially by being carried on a radial- 1y movable slide 3 (see Fig. 9). "The stitch cam is widened, at its upper forward corner,

to providea part w overhanging the inner side of the cam. The'part m, which is in effect a supplemental cam, has a cam facealigning with the regular cam face of cam w.

w The needles 23 (see Figs. 9 and 11), which may be designated regular needles, are of ordinary construction with the usual butts.

The needles to (see Figs. 10 and 12), which 'may be designated special needles, are of the same construction except that they are provided with shoulders '21.

v If the stitch cam is moved out, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the cam a is not in line of,

trayel of the shoulders v, and all the needles are operated, in the regular way, by the engagement of their butts with the suppleknown.

mental cam 00, and all the needles are operated at the same point in the circumference of the needle cylinder, and all the needles engage all three threads I), p, and m. \Vhe'n, however, the stitch cam is moved in, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the supplemental cam :12 is in line of travel of the shoulders o of the specialneedles, and the special needles will move down at'a point in the circumference of the needle cylinder in advance of the point at which the regular needles are moved down and at such point as to engage only the threads 7 and m and escape engagement with the thread 6, thereby causing the latter thread to float across the knitted-in threads m and p as shown in Fig. 14.

In the said Patents 1,631,816 and 1,631,817, the needles in the front half, and the needles in the rear half, of the machine are shown as differently constructed and the stitch cam is shown as movable into several different radial positions, in order that the special needles may be operated as regular needles in knitting the heel and toe. Means for selec tively depressing needles for any desired number of courses is known. Means adapted to selectively bend back the hook endsof needles for any desired number of courses is By means of such known mechanism. or by means of other mechanism that may be devised, the process ma be so practiced as to produce, in knitted p ated hosiery, 4

an infinite variety of three color figures and designs. By means of this mechanism, or

. other mechanism that may be devised, the

process may be so practiced as to produce, in knitted plated hosiery, an infinite variety of three color figures and designs.

\Vhat I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: I

1. A plated knitted fabric comprising three threads all extending continuously along successive courses of the fabric and comprising normally plated wales of stitched loops in which one threadappears on the face, another on the back, and another in the middle, of the fabric, and other wales whose stitched loops are formed by the first named and third named threads in which the third named thread appears on the face of the fabric while the second named thread floats.

2. A plated knitted fabric comprising three threads all extending continuously along successive courses of the fabric and comprising normally plated wales of stitched loops in which one thread appears on the face. another on the back, and another in the middle, of the fabric, other wales of stitched loops in which the three threads appear in a different order, and still other wales Whose stitched loops are formed by the first named and third named threads in which the third named thread appears on the face of the fabric while the second named thread floats.

3. A plated knitted fabric comprising three threads all extending continuously along successive courses of the fabric and comprising normally plated wales of stitched loops in which one thread appears on the face, another on the back, and another in the middle, of the fabric, other wales of stitched loops in which the three threads appear in reverse order, and still other wales whose stitched loops are formed by the first named and third named threads in which the third named thread appears on the face of the fabric while the second named thread floats.

4. A knitted fabric including at least three threads extending continuously along successive courses of the fabric, said fabric having a portion in which all three threads are knit into loops in which one of said threads overlies the second and third of said threads and the second thread overlies the third, and another portion in which all three threads are knit into loops in which the third thread overlies the second and first threads and the second thread overlies the first thread.

5. A knitted fabric including at least three threads extending continuously along successive courses of the fabric, said fabric .having a portion in which all three threads are knit into loops in which one of said threads overlies the second and third of said threads, and the second thread overlies the third, and another portion in which the first and second threads are knit into loops and in which the third thread floats.

6. A knitted fabric including at least three threads extending continuously along successive courses of thefabric, said fabric having a.portion in which all three threads are knit into loops in which one of said threads overlies the second and third of said threads, and the second thread overlies the third, and another portion-in which the first and second threads are knit into loops with the second thread overlying the first thread and in which the third thread floats.

7. A knitted fabric including at least three threads extending continuously along successive courses of the fabric, said fabric having a portion in which all three threads are knit into loops in which one of said threads overlies the second and third of said threads, and the second thread overlies the third, and another portion in which the third thread floats while at least one of the other threads is knit into loops.

8. A knitted fabric including at least three threads extending continuously along successive courses of the fabric, said fabric having a portion in which all three threads are knit into loops in which one of said threads overlies the second and third of said threads, and

'the second thread overlies the third, another portion in which all three threads are knit into loops in which the third thread overlies the second and first threads and the second thread overlies the first thread, and still another tportion in which the third thread floats.

9. plated knitted fabric comprising three threads and comprising normally plated wales of stitched loops in which one thread appears on the face, another on the back, and another in the middle, of the fabric, other wales of stitched loops in which the three threads appear in a different order, and still other wales whose stitched loops are formed by the first named and third named threads in which the third named thread appears on the face of the fabric while the second named thread floats.

10. A plated knitted fabric comprising three threads and comprising normally plated wales of'stitched loops in which one thread appears on the face, another on the back, and another in the middle, of the fabric, other wales of stitched loops in which the three threads appear in reverse order, and still other wales Whose stitched loops are formed by the first named and third named threads in which the third named thread appears on the face of the fabric while the second named thread floats.

11. A knitted fabric including at least three threads, said fabric having a portion in which all three 'thre ds are knit into loops in which one of said t eads overlies the second and third of said threads, and the second thread overlies the thild, another portion in which all three threads are knit into loops in which the third thread overlies the second and first threads and the second thread overlies the first thread, and still another portion in'which the third thread floats.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia,

Penna, on this 13th d y of March, 1928.

' CHARLES B. GALLAGHER. 

